Lycoris Radiata
by nyanzo-picklebum
Summary: A prophecy tells the demigods they must rescue and ally with a dangerous monster called a 'ghoul' to win their next war. That ghoul is called 'Centipede'.
1. Hunger

_Lycoris Radiata_

**This concept has been in my head for awhile and its time I finally wrote it down. This is my first fanfic so please feel free to give me pointers on my writing;)**

**Disclaimer: The brilliance of Tokyo Ghoul belongs to the sadistic Ishida Sui and PJO to Rick Riordan**

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_**The Underworld's Asylum for the Morbidly Insane**_

_** Location: Tartarus**_

_** Purpose: To imprison the most infamously fucked up monsters of Greek legends**_

_**Day 1: Hunger**_

_ 5 months, 3 hours, and 42 minutes he had been imprisoned in this god-forsaken hellhole. Not that it was any worse than Cochlea or Kanou's labs. In retrospect, at least he hadn't been able to feel his hunger in Cochlea. The shots they'd gave him had suppressed his RC cells just enough so that he didn't die of starvation. Some saliva found its way out the side of his mouth and he hastily wiped it off. _

_Almost as if summoned, he smelled the it before he heard it. Heavy footsteps descended then levelled out, bringing with it the smell of rotten flesh. His nose wrinkled at the foul smell, but he could feel his hunger rise from the pits of his stomach like a corpse from the dead. The footsteps halted just outside of his cell. He lifted his head to stare out at the guard, a reptilian creature much like a large green lizard walking on two legs. Smirking at the guard's cautious expression, he pulled himself to his feet and limped over to the bars, holding one hand out for the small, foul-smelling package. _

_Grimacing, the guard allowed the package to drop into his waiting hand and retreated quickly up the stone steps and into the darkness. Once the guard was out of sight, he savagely ripped into the meat inside the paper, gulping down large chunkfuls at a time; and once it was all gone, he was left licking the last of the blood from his black-nailed fingertips. _

_Sighing at the unsatisfactory meal, he let himself fall back to the ground in an undignified heap of straw bedding and chains. Absently he rubbed his burning wrists, the product of some type of dark metal fashioned into cuffs. Larger metal circlets wrapped around his abdomen and stomach to bind his kagune. Whatever the dark metal was made of, it melted his skin on contact and left the smell of burnt flesh hanging in the air. Rolling on his side, he gazed at the stone wall carved with rows of slash marks counting his days in this tiny, dark cell. _

_He let himself think of Hide and Touka, hell he even missed Nishio-senpai's dry comments and tsundere attitude. And, for the first time since he arrived at the Asylum, he tried to dream of happier times in the 20th ward._

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_Deafening screams pierced through the thick silence of the Asylum corridors that night. _

_The next morning, Prisoner #23301, mortal name: Kaneki Ken, was transferred to the Black Ward covered in his own blood._


	2. Into the Depths of Hell

_Lycoris Radiata_

**You can all thank XHikariSoraX for this chapter. I actually had this chapter already written when I uploaded the first one, but I was just waiting for a good review:3**

**Disclaimer: The brilliance of Tokyo Ghoul unfortunately still belongs to the sadistic Ishida Sui and PJO to Rick Riordan**

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_**Camp Half-Blood**_

_**Location: New York**_

_**Purpose: To shelter the children of the Greek Gods and Goddesses**_

_**Day 2: Into the Depths of Hell**_

Percy drummed his fingers impatiently on his leg while the Seven filed into the Big House. Chiron had woken him up early that morning looking distressed and tired, and that had been all it took for Percy to haul himself out of his warm bed and into a meeting at six in the morning. Stealing a glance at the centaur once more, Percy could easily tell that the man hadn't had any sleep for days. Heavy bags sat beneath his normally warm, brown eyes, and the fatigue showed itself in every step the centaur took as if the next weighed more than the last.

Finally, Leo stumbled in looking dazed, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes like a child would. Annabeth, sensing Percy's distress, shot him a sharp glare which got the Latino sitting at his place and at attention in a heartbeat. Percy gave Annabeth a grateful smile and she returned it, squeezing his hand underneath the table.

Chiron clapped his hands together, "Alright, now that everyone is here, I'd like to start." The old centaur's gaze travelled around the table, inspecting each of the Seven in turn. Chiron stopped short at the empty seat to his left. "Where is Mr. Di Angelo?"

"Here." The voice floated around the room in an eerie, disembodied manner. The Seven collectively startled at the sound, sans Percy, Annabeth, and Hazel, who were already used to Nico's shadow-travelling habits.

Frank looked especially creeped out when Nico bled into the room from the shadows in the corner of the room. When Nico stepped fully into the light, the grim line of his mouth did nothing to ease Percy's nerves. Chiron cleared his throat, "Please take a seat, Nico." The Ghost Prince nodded and sat at his seat at the ping-pong table, eyeing Frank's hand atop of his sister's.

Jason spoke up, "So Chiron, why are we here?" Murmurs flew around the table when Chiron pulled out a scroll and lifted a large hunk of a Celestial Bronze breastplate from under the table.

Chiron cleared his throat once more, "This armour was found in the Fields of Asphodel, on the edge of the Pit," he paused, surveying the shocked looks around the table, "and as you've all probably figured out by now, this could only mean one thing."

Leo raised his hand, looking utterly lost, "A Titan is running around naked?"

Immediately, the tension in the room broke. Percy held his stomach, guffawing even louder when Leo looked around at them confused.

"What did I say?"

Jason shook his head waving him off with a huge grin on his face, while Piper held onto her boyfriend's shoulder for support, still snorting. Even Chiron had cracked a small smile, the weight on his shoulders a little lighter. Only Nico stayed still, his lips set in a deep frown. He slammed his fist down on the table, "IT ISN'T FUNNY!"

With tears in her eyes, Annabeth was able to calm down and speak coherently at last, "Nico's right guys. Something big is obviously going on, and we have to pull ourselves together so we don't end up with another war on our hands." At the mention of another war, the table quieted and listened to what she had to say. Looking at Chiron for permission, he nodded, giving her the go-ahead to start speaking, "My theory is-," she stood up, circling the table to inspect the bronze armour, "-that this armour is only a small piece of what is happening in the Underworld. If it was found near the Pit", her, Percy, and Nico visibly shuddered, "then the conclusion could come down to two things: 1) A large humanoid monster, none of which are known to inhabit the Underworld, could have been attacked near the Pit and broken its armour. This reason doesn't stand seeing as Celestial Bronze or any other type of metal we use burn monsters to the touch. 2) Something, most likely a Titan or of that size, attempted to escape the Pit by protecting itself from the safeguards against escapees by wearing armour that shouldn't even _be_ in Tartarus in the first place. This conclusion makes the most sense, however, one thing still puzzles me."

Grunting with effort, Annabeth managed to flip over the piece of armour on its back. The demigods' eyes widened and they all leaned forward in their seats. Chiron looked on at the words as if they were the epitaph on each of their gravestones. Percy's heart felt heavy with dread.

Glowing a deep, sinister red, the Ancient Greek words shone brightly up at them. Annabeth read them aloud:

'_We are coming, demigods_

_We are coming and you cannot hide_

_You cannot win and you cannot flee_

_We are coming, and you are doomed'_

There was silence as everyone digested this information. However, Leo was still lost,

"Can somebody please explain what the hell is happening and why you all look like Zeus just shat on your graves?"

Frank answered this time, still staring down at the glowing letters but not seeing them, "Finding this wasn't a coincidence, guys. Tartarus has declared war."

Before full-blown panic could break out, Chiron cut into the conversation, "Frank is right. This _is_ a declaration of war. _But, _the prophecy I received from Miss Dare spells some hope for our situation." Chiron unrolled the scroll sitting on the table and read the prophecy with no small amount of shakiness in his speech:

_ 'Into the depths of Hell, they must go_

_Seven plus One and Two more_

_To the Asylum and down the stairs_

_Salvation in humanity's darkest tragedy_

_He who feasts on mortal flesh_

_Yet takes no lives but his own_

_The Centipede still crawls underneath_

_In the sewers far below_

_Acquire his aid and perhaps all lives will be saved_

_Except maybe his own'_

"M-mortal flesh?!" Apparently Percy wasn't the only one who was disturbed by this information. Piper looked sick to her stomach, holding onto Jason's shoulder for support.

Still staring at the words on the paper, Chiron didn't even acknowledge Annabeth's burning stare. Nico chose this time to speak up, "They're called ghouls." All eyes were fixed on him, urging for him to continue. Nico shifted under the sudden attention, but continued on, "I've met them before in the Underworld, very few stay above Tartarus, and the first time I met one in the mortal world, I didn't expect anything different. You see, in the Underworld, they are very complacent beings. They wander around like a spirit would, in a painful trance of memories but not remembering what those memories are. They tend to form groups, always quietly talking amongst themselves. Monsters and spirits avoid them and they avoid the monsters and spirits. It was in Tokyo, Japan that I met my first live ghoul."

Suddenly, Nico's whole body shivered and his nose wrinkled as if he were smelling spoiled milk. Percy could only guess at what he had witnessed for it was most certainly horrifying for a child of Hades to look as fearful as Nico did in that moment.

He continued in a hushed voice, as if afraid that anyone but himself should hear his words, "I-I was walking alone in the street at night", the demigods at the table gave him a look at that, "I thought I could defend myself of course. I was wrong, so wrong. . . I didn't stand a chance. I had turned into an alleyway when I heard a sort of shuffling from behind a trashcan. I thought perhaps it could be a monster, and I drew my sword to fight it. It _was_ a monster, I just didn't know it.

I knew that ghouls were human in appearance, more human in nature than any other monster I had ever seen, but it was too much seeing that _thing _there covered in human skin. It was a girl, with long teal hair and a tattered red cloak. She was bent over something, at first I couldn't see what and I wish I never had. There were bandages hanging loosely around her neck, yet the blood on them didn't seem to come from her, and as she picked up a long object I realized it was a human _arm_ and then-" Chiron placed his hand reassuringly on Nico's shoulder and he took a deep breath. No one even breathed.

"-And then she saw me and I was scared. I was truly and utterly terrified of this _human-but-not _until she was no longer human in appearance. In seconds, a monster, one-eyed, tentacled monster, was bearing down at me and I was still frozen from the sight of that arm. . ." Nico trailed off. He shook himself and cleared his throat to continue, "Soon enough I learned that not all ghouls were like that thing, but all have the same diet. Even more disturbing is that the mist doesn't cover them." There were gasps at this revelation and Annabeth seemed ready to protest.

Percy didn't know how to respond. Mortals in Japan knew about these monsters, yet the rest of the world didn't? How could a city as big as Tokyo keep such a gruesome secret? Instead, he asked this, "Nico, how come you didn't tell anyone?"

Grimacing, Nico fingered his camp necklace not answering. Instead, he turned towards Chiron, probably to avoid the stares he was receiving. "There does exist an organization to combat ghouls in Japan. It's called the '_Commission of Counter Ghoul' _or 'CCG' for short. They must be in charge of controlling information leaks about ghouls to the rest of the world."

Finally, Annabeth burst forth with her questions.

"Isn't there any way to identify ghouls?"

"How come the gods didn't tell us?"

"Do our weapons affect them?"

Percy could see Annabeth's mind working overtime to process all this new information and pick it apart in hopes of finding a solution.

Nico answered each question in turn:

"Yes, the whites of their eyes blacken and their irises turn red when their. . . _appendages _are activated."

"I don't know. My father refuses to tell me."

"Yes, I know at least Stygian Iron can."

At this last bit of information, Nico fell silent, sitting quietly in his chair. The demigods looked around at each other in hopes that the prophecy was some kind of a sick joke played on them by the Fates.

". . . ."

"Her hair was _GREEN__?!"_

"_SHUT UP LEO!"_

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**Okay, so it's pretty damn obvious who Nico met ;)**

**Update: So the ghoul's hair is green/(still) teal now, so that should give those of you who were confused a hint.**


	3. To Rescue a Monster

_Lycoris Radiata_

**Alrighty then, time to respond to the wonderful reviews I received:)**

**XHikariSoraX: Thanks for another well-written review, it's much appreciated. As to what is trying to kill them, only time will tell;)**

**bluesz: Not to be rude, but how did you read my story if you reviewed in Spanish? Anyway, no fear, my mother is Italian so she could sorta relate to me what you were saying (except for your second question). The blue-haired ghoul was anime-version Eto (I guess it's more a light green so I changed it). I think the third question was asking if they'll meet Kaneki soon? Well yea. But, like any good author, I'm going to drag it out until then.**

**Guest: Yea. It was anime Eto soo. . . yea. I changed it to green instead of blue, but 'teal' would be alright since it's a mixture of blue and green. Sorry about the misunderstanding.**

**Bob is Life: Your review was awesome, thank you! I guess I've got expectations to live up to now.**

**And to everyone who liked Leo, you will definitely be seeing more of him. I've got plans for the kid.**

**Thank you for all the follows/favorites/reviews!**

_**[Psst, I love reviews]**_

**Disclaimer: If I did own Tokyo Ghoul, Kaneki and Hide would be skipping in a field singing The Sound of Music and not (presumed) dead or amnesiac. If I owned PJO, Percy would be Nico's type.**

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**Day 3: To Rescue a Monster**

Piper wasn't sure what to think. As she exited the Big House, the summer sun warmed her aching hands, cramped from clenching the hem of her shirt for too long. Yet that same sun did nothing to warm her darkened thoughts. She gazed around the camp, taking in the everyday activities that seemed so mundane now she usually didn't look twice. Campers, every age from six to twenty-six (an impressive age for Greek demigods), smiled and laughed and enjoyed life without the worry of a monster entering within the camp's threshold. Piper shivered at the thought of the Golden Fleece being stolen, or worse, destroyed. Yet how was that any different than voluntarily allowing a monster into the campgrounds?

Piper stopped at the edge of the lake where the _Argo II _resided. The huge boat swayed with the tides, crashing upon the shore in steady rhythm with her beating heart. She felt her heart completely stop when Leo's grinning face popped out from a porthole.

He waved, not noticing the stopping of her heart in her chest, "_Heyoo _Pipes! Wanna come aboard?" Clutching her chest, Piper breathed out and nodded slowly. Leo grinned once more and yelled down at her that he'd be right back.

Looking up towards where Leo now stood with the gangplank heaved upon his shoulder, Piper briefly wondered why he didn't send down the rope ladder instead. With a grunt, Leo slid the plank down to her, setting his end carefully on the polished wood of the deck. Piper smiled fondly at the maternal way Leo took care of his ship. She had seen him one morning up at six, scrubbing away at the deck, elbow deep in vats of wood polish even after Percy had washed the ship's entirety with a few hand gestures and gone on to breakfast. When working on a different project altogether, Leo would haul it up to the _Argo II _and tinker with it there, ever blissful aboard his creation.

Leo snapped his fingers in front of her face, "You alright Pipes? You've been staring at me for like a minute. . . wait don't tell me you've finally fallen in love with me-"

Piper punched his arm. Hard. "In your dreams, Lover Boy. What are you doing up here anyway?"

Leo rubbed his arm where she had hit him, then held up the frayed end of a rope, "The rope ladder snapped, so I'm making a new one but I'm not very good at it. . . do you think you could help me?"

"Just how bad are you?"

Leo held up a twisted ball.

"Ok I'll help."

Together they sat down on the deck, Piper leaning against a thick mast and Leo sitting cross-legged in front of her. A long train of cord lay between them, and Piper held it up, demonstrating how to braid the fibers together to make the rope. Leo nodded steadily to her explanation, occasionally interjecting to ask a question or tell her a bad pick-up line.

Leo paused in his explanation of the proper way to make a churro and set down the length of rope he'd been braiding, "Pipes, is there something on your mind? You've been looking fidgety ever since that meeting. . ."

"And you aren't?"

"No, why would I be?"

Incredulous, Piper hastily knotted the end of the rope and tossed it into Leo's lap, "What do you mean you aren't? Aren't you worried?"

Leo's inquisitive stare continued.

"I mean, there's a _whole race _of monsters we've never even heard of before that are _eating_ mortals whenever they please and the mist doesn't even work on them! What in Hades name am I supposed to think?!"

Leo opened his mouth as if to say something, but Piper cut him off.

"_**And-**__," _she continued in a softer voice, "-and we're supposed to rescue one of these things so that it can help us win another goddamn war that the gods can't handle for themselves. . . what am I supposed to think? I don't know myself, but I do know that enlisting the help of a monster of all things, that we know next to nothing about, is absolutely crazy. . ."

Piper felt a warm hand on her knee. She looked up into equally warm brown eyes that held a confidence she had never noticed there before now.

"If there's one thing I've learned after becoming a demigod and going on these _crazy_ adventures with you guys, it's this: I can count on you guys. Even when the crazy unknown crawl out from under the bed, or jump out of the closet, you guys are there with your silver crosses and magic knives." He nudged Piper when a small smile bloomed on her face. "But Pipes, I think you've forgotten what camp is all about." Curious at what he was getting at, Piper waited patiently for his explanation.

"Pipes, Camp Half-Blood, our entire crazy world, _is_ the unknown, or was once upon a time. We didn't know what we were getting into when we came here, and we still don't. Every quest we've ever had is explained by vague voodoo witchcraft that makes zero sense to anyone, even if they won't admit it. All the crazy friends we've made, we had no idea what they'd be like did we?" He laughed, remembering how his hero worship of Percy had turned into month-long prank wars over who would get Peleus for capture-the-flag.

"What I'm trying to say is, we don't know what this person will be like. Sure, he eats people. Maybe to him, people are just like the cheeseburgers he picks up at McDonald's every Saturday for his loving wife and two kids."

"Okay, you lost me there."

Leo sighed, removing his hand from her knee.

"I'm starting to run out of smart things to say you know," he ran a hand through his wild curls, "just give him a chance. The prophecy said he'd help us right?"

"Well yeah. . ."

Leo clapped his hands together, "Problem solved. The prophecy is never wrong after all."

"That's true but-"

Leo held up a finger, "No buts. Give the unknown a chance, would you?"

A pause settled between them, prolonged in the chill of the summer night. A naiad's laughter tinkled in the distance. On shore, a bush shook and a rabbit shot out from the underbrush, a fox close behind.

"Okay."

"Even if it's crazy?"

"Even if it's crazy."

A high-pitched squeal sounded on shore but was swiftly silenced.

"Leo?"

"Hm?"

"Were you actually being. . . _wise_?"

"Please don't tell Annabeth."


	4. Capture

_Lycoris Radiata_

**YAY MORE REVIEWS!**

**Explanation Time: So shit's been goin' on with finals and. . . I'm kinda going to Japan next week so yeah. Gonna buy all the Tokyo Ghoul merch bby~XD**

**bluesz: Thanks for the explanation. I just really want to know what my readers have to say, so double thank you for writing in English this time. I'm sorry that it makes you uncomfortable, but I'm selfish and wanna read your reviews;) And you shan't wait much longer, I'm guesstimating next chapter, or the chapter after, as being the meeting between the demigods and Kaneki. I'm glad Leo makes you laugh:D **

**XHikariSoraX: Awesome review as always. I like to think that Leo has a deeper look at things than most people think he does. I look forward to hearing more from you^_^**

**Lillian Forest: Wow, I love your enthusiasm! Thanks a ton for your kind words3**

**Bob is Life: Your review made me smile, especially that little evil laugh~ Their meeting will include a lot of conflicting opinions for sure. . .**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Tokyo Ghoul or PJO. But maybe while I'm in Japan I could talk to Sui-sensei about a few things *cracks fingers* **

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**Day 4: Capture**

_**6:00 AM**_

One would think that after years of quests, Percy would've gotten used to packing beforehand. Yet here he was, scrambling to fit multiple orange t-shirts into a small duffel bag. Beside him, Frank sniffed a pair of boxers, wrinkled his nose. and threw it in his bag anyway.

Impatiently, Annabeth tapped her foot, her own bag slung over her shoulder, "Would you two hurry up? This wouldn't have happened if-" At this point, Percy's subconscious tuned her out. He set to sniffing his own clothing, occasionally holding a pair of shorts or a shirt up for Frank to help judge. Distantly, Percy heard Annabeth mutter something about 'boys' and 'should've joined the Hunters' and walk out of Cabin 3.

Frank sighed, zipping his bag shut, "Why did I ever listen to you?"

Percy zipped his own bag shut. He answered in a matter-of-fact tone, "You had never seen any Disney movies before. Of course I had to educate you with my supreme knowledge."

"Dude," Frank flicked a stray piece of popcorn off the bed, "Nine straight hours of princess movies is all a guy needs for a lifetime." As he said this, he rubbed his red, bloodshot eyes with the back of his large fist, and his eyelids fell dangerously low. Percy threw his Limited Edition Nemo pillow at his head.

"You haven't even seen the ones without princesses!"

"Let me rephrase that. That's enough _Disney _movies for a lifetime."

Jason poked his head around the doorframe just in time to witness Percy get K.O'd with a Nemo pillow.

"I'm not even gonna ask."

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The _Argo II _flew soundlessly through the murky night air of the Underworld. Around nearly midnight, the ship hovered far above the Pit whilst Leo muttered to himself, twisting the Archimedes' sphere and tapping various gauges on the control panel. Leo scratched his head in confusion at the sphere in his hands, wondering why the ship wouldn't move.

In contrast, the quest had been surprisingly smooth so far. Thanks to Nico's familiarity with the guardians of the Underworld and Leo's flying ship, they had literally sailed over every obstacle in their path.

That is, until the fuel ran out.

Their only warning was a clanking, clattering whirr from Festus's mechanical throat and Leo's startled shout. Thalia and Rachel swore like sailors as they plummeted and held on to each other in a death-grip. Desperately, Jason called on the wind to scoop them up, but the air continued to sweep past them in a blur.

As they descended into Tartarus, a long, shining tentacle retracted into darkness.

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Nico woke to a soft hand brushing against his face. Groggily, he opened his eyes to a bruised and bleeding Hazel who, upon his awakening, wrapped him in a tight embrace. A sharp pain ran up his leg and the side of his face and he cried out. Instantly, Hazel jerked back and scrutinized him with concern evident in her liquid gold eyes. She began tearing her shirt, wrapping the strips around his head and shin. Nico protested weakly, but could not find the strength to push her away. Yelling got his attention:

_"When I find who did this I'll-," _a stream of furious-sounding Spanish followed, prompting Nico to painfully heave himself up on his elbows to locate the commotion.

Holding his shoulders steady, Hazel attempted to explain to him what she had gathered from Leo's distant shouts. Apparently, something very sharp and very large had pierced straight through the ship's hull and into the fuel tank. Presumably it had come from the Pit, but it was long gone by now. The others were spread out somewhere in the mess of the wreckage and deep fog that had fallen upon them.

Suddenly with this statement, Nico was all too aware of where he was. In the daze of recounting his story, Nico hadn't fully realized the implications of coming back to this hellhole. It was as if it were his first time all over again. The sulfurous air burned his eyes and the toxic clouds rained down a light spray of acid that left tiny red splotches all over his skin. The ground, entirely composed of volcanic glass, poked into his palms like tiny, black daggers.

Hazel could feel her brother's bony frame shake in her loose hold, but she tried not to hold him any tighter, despite how she yearned to stop that shaking. She took a deep breath, a painful mistake. Her lungs felt constricted and she hacked and hacked the acidic air out of her, but more kept coming in.

Strangely, she noticed the yelling had ceased. Out of the mist, a scaly, green foot came out from her peripheral vision, connecting with her temple in a solid hit.

As her consciousness faded, she registered a slimy voice call out _"two mo' over 'ere, Cap'n!" _from above where she lay.

In her arms, Nico felt cold.

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**Update: StolenBook has kindly informed me that Hades' children would take Tartarus's atmosphere worse than everyone else since they can see its true form, so I'll be incorporating that. I'm not changing anything in this chapter though 'cause there's not much to change, but thank you for telling me^_^  
**


	5. The Hanged Man's Macguffin

_Lycoris Radiata_

**I LOVED THE REVIEWS **

**Not gonna respond individually this time though, 'cause I'm lazy and you all basically told me to hurry my sorry ass up and write the demigod/Kaneki meeting so here ya go. Though a couple of you commented on how Jason (Grace) makes you picture Yamori instead and I totally agree. Makes watching Friday the 13th pretty awkward too;)**

**Special shoutout to the guest who called me Sensei. You succeeded in making me blush and grin like an idiot for a whole five minutes. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own characters etc. etc.**

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**Day 5: **_**The Hanged Man's Macguffin**_

Leo awoke to the muted sound of a page turning. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he vaguely registered the lack of rocking motion familiar to sleeping on a flying ship. Slowly, he sat up, a dull ache in his head indicating that his sleep hadn't been natural. The shine of the dark metal floor attracted his gaze next and his eyes widened. _Stygian Iron? _He looked around further to confirm that the walls too gave off the same dark shine. There didn't appear to be an exit. _What the- where am I? _Another rustle of paper drew Leo's attention toward the corner of the room.

Leo stared unblinkingly at a boy that appeared a few years older than him, yet his hair appeared to be grey, maybe even white underneath the grime that caked it. Dried blood clumped the longer strands together that fell at his prominent collarbone, drawing Leo's gaze down towards the boy's abdomen. He was surprisingly well-toned for such a small frame, if not a little too lean to be healthy. Around his neck, a thick metal collar rested, widening out in the back and circling back around his midsection in front. Four cuffs encircled his wrists and ankles together too. Although at first the metal looked to be Stygian Iron, closer observation showed its true colour to be some sort of sable-hued purple. Oddly enough, it wasn't the metal contraption around the boy that drew Leo's attention, but the tattered book in his hand. It was obviously well-loved for bright yellow page-markers littered its pages from front to back, indicating this wasn't a first-time read. With all the stealth he could muster, Leo crept forward to catch a glimpse of the book's title.

Apparently 'the stealth he could muster' was not much because the boy's eyes met his from behind a veil of grey-white hair. They were a soft gunmetal grey, not unlike Annabeth's own stormy ones, and Leo felt himself shudder under the steady stare.

"_The Hanged Man's Macguffin," _came a faint voice.

"Huh?" was Leo's intelligent reply.

"The title. You were trying to read it, right?" As the boy's voice grew stronger, Leo noticed a light accent come with it, but he couldn't place its origin. Throwing caution to the wind, Leo shuffled on his hands and knees over to the boy's side and made himself comfortable. Peering over the strange boy's shoulder, he blinked slowly at the text.

"Is that Chinese or somethin'?" He received a slight upturn of the lips and shake of the head in response.

"Japanese." Now that he was closer, Leo could see that the boy's features were delicate and oriental in nature. The boy held out the book to him with one eyebrow raised in inquisition, the chains rattling with the movement, "Would you like to take a look?" Leo blinked again and grasped the book when he caught sight of the boy's fingernails. They were black. The question came out before he could stop it:

"Is that some kinda new fashion?"

Appalled at his big, fat,_ stupid _mouth, he quickly covered it as if that would stop the stupidity from slipping out of his mind. Unfortunately the stupid couldn't be stopped, and he smacked himself in the face with the book still in his hands.

Leo was mortified.

A peek out from behind the book revealed a strange expression on the boy's face. His lips seemed to be frozen between wanting to smile or grimace. Eventually he settled for a weak grin.

"Why, do you like it?" Not expecting a reply like that, Leo did what he could to salvage the situation before it became even more awkward. He placed the book beside him and turned his whole body towards the boy, sitting on his knees. Next, he took the other boy's hands in his own and held them up to eye level. They were calloused and scarred, but Leo barely noticed. Leo steadied his nerves and looked up into the other boy's steel eyes. He'd need all his awesome Leo charm for what he said next.

"_I_ _**love **__them."_

Dead. Silence.

Leo made sure to hold his gaze, but he could feel himself experiencing a nuclear meltdown on the inside. The other boy had yet to react, much less breathe after Leo's love confession. Honestly, he didn't sound like he was breathing at all and Leo was starting to worry a bit.

"Hey, you oka-" He was interrupted by the silent shaking of the boy's shoulders. A hand ripped out of Leo's grip to cover the quivering mouth of its owner who now had silent tears streaming down his cheeks. Leo panicked and began an impressive stream of apologies, but the other boy waved him off and uncovered his mouth to reveal a shy smile directed at him. Gently, the other hand left Leo's loose grip to wipe at the tears running down the dirty, alabaster cheeks. After the laughter _[or sobs, Leo couldn't really tell] _began to leave his body, the boy's hand returned to Leo's to wrap it in a firm grip. Leo looked up from their hands into the boy's eyes _[perhaps to search for and identify what emotion he'd invoked he didn't know]_,but a veil of hair hid his steel eyes from view.

"_Mukade," _came the boy's near-silent whisper.

The boy's grip on his hand tightened, then fell away to brush aside the hair covering his eyes. One sclera had turned an inky black. The iris bloomed into a sweet, sanguine red, leaving Leo breathless with the sudden fear that gripped him.

"I suppose that in English," the boy _[ghoul?] _started, "my name would be '_Centipede'_."

* * *

_"Quelle malchance!"_

"Oi."

"_Quelle horreur!"_

"_Oi."_

"_**Je suis au désespoir!"**_

_**"Shut your fucking mouth you dickless shitmonger or so help me I will staple a crêpe where your dick should be."**_

With an audible clack of teeth, the flamboyant man shut his mouth, pressing his lips into a thin line. The silence lasted no more than five seconds.

"Ayato-kun."

Silence.

_"Ayato-kun~." _His tone was getting whiny. Ayato felt his blood boil, but he willed himself to stay calm this time.

". . . what."

Happy he'd been acknowledged, Tsukiyama continued on in an enthusiastic tone,

"Do you think Kaneki-kun is okay?"

Ayato felt his blood run cold at the innocent question. Patiently, Tsukiyama fiddled with the metal cuffs around his wrists, either ignoring the pain of doing so or not caring enough to acknowledge it.

Ayato considered his answer carefully. Tsukiyama may be physically strong in a sense, but his mental state was another matter entirely. The loud man may act as if the question was a casual inquiry, yet the fragility of his mind hadn't escaped Ayato's notice in the months the two had been locked up together. He chose his next words conscientious of these facts.

"I'm sure that white-haired fucker is doing fine. . . or something," he finished lamely. Though Tsukiyama seemed to accept the answer easily enough, a smile of confidence in his friend's abilities in place. Sighing at the gullibility of the man, Ayato let his forehead rest on his knees.

_"[We're so fucked]."_


	6. The Rabbit in the Moon

**Okay so Novel Month and Evangelion wrecked me and that's why I'm emotionally dead and couldn't update. Also I s2g Ishida is trying to rip our hearts out with tg:re chapter 54 like DAMN. Anyway, thank you for all the lovely reviews, and if I responded in a PM I was probably pretty bitchy from not sleeping in over 24 hours. Sorry 'bout that. I suck. Keep reviewing, nerds.**

**As for pairings I have absolutely no idea what direction I wanna take that in. Some of you suggested a couple, but I'm just not feeling it yet. I just have his insatiable need for brotps and platonic love that could make this story so much more than a typical romance, but maybe that's just me. I dunno. On with the story.**

* * *

**Day 6: The Rabbit in the Moon**

Nico gasped.

Immediately Hazel was hovering over him, lips moving but no sound coming out. His mind felt foggy, and Hazel's lips were still moving, fast and frantic. In a low grumble he told her to shut up. Hazel quieted, wiping unshed tears from her eyes with her frayed sweater sleeve. Why was it torn off like that? His eyes travelled up to her shoulder where a deep gash was steadily knitting itself together. Good, she was healing normally. Nico took a deep breath, exhaling a long sigh. He placed his arm over his eyes and wearily asked where they were.

"See for yourself." Puzzled by her indirect response (she'd never been a roundabout person), he removed his arm from his eyes and sat up to look.

They were very clearly in a cell, reinforced with an astounding amount of Stygian Iron that shined floor to the ceiling. But that would be impossible. Nico pinched the bridge of his nose in thought. If it really was Stygian Iron, then their very essences would have been sucked dry if they were anyone other than Hades' children. And even then the amount of it would have some effect at least. . . what was it then? From outside the cell, a single lightbulb flickered uncertainly every few seconds, protected by a metal cage. Thick bars closed them in from the opposite side of the cell. In the light, they didn't appear to be Stygian Iron, but rather a deep black that flashed purple in the flickering light. He asked what type of metal it was.

"I don't know but-," Hazel cut herself off, chewing her lip in thought. Nico prompted her to continue.

"Whatever it is . . . whatever it is, it's _organic_."

Seeing his expression, she elaborated, "It doesn't feel like any other metal I've felt before except maybe that breastplate chunk Chiron showed us. That was definitely Celestial Bronze, but it felt _alive_. The feeling was barely there though, so I didn't think to mention it. This one's different though. Whatever it is, it's practically pulsing with energy, Nico. I doubt either of our powers could do much damage on the Stygian Iron as it is, but the bars are a whole 'nother story."

She took a moment to brush her hair out of her face, looking every bit as tired as Nico felt, if not more so. She'd probably been awake much longer than him figuring this out and working through their situation. Placing his hand atop of hers, he squeezed it, trying to reassure her in some small way. Hazel let out a small smile and squeezed his hand back, looking a bit more awake.

A note of hope entered her tone, "Let's find a different way out, Nico."

* * *

The boy's flesh was lean and tasted faintly of what Kaneki remembered Mexican food to taste like. Spicy. Hot. Filling. His blood was so, _so _warm running down his parched throat and into his empty stomach. It was addicting, the hot, fiery taste of the demigod's blood, and he wanted more of it. He bit down deeper into the boy's shoulder, savoring the fresh taste so long deprived of him. To the demigod's credit, he didn't scream as loud as he thought he would. Instead, the impish boy bit his own tongue to keep from crying out, screwing his eyes shut but not stopping the salty tears that ran down his nose and onto the back of Kaneki's neck. The muffled screams vibrated against Kaneki's cheek when he moved to bite down closer to the boy's neck. It was satisfying, in a way, not to be the one screaming in unspeakable pain this time. To not be the one getting hurt, but hurting others.

He relished in the feeling until he felt the boy go limp in his grasp. Reluctantly, he pulled away to gently lay the boy on his back, noting the faint but present beat of his heart. Good, he hadn't accidentally killed the boy. His hands worked efficiently to tear the demigod's shirt into strips to wrap the shallow wound. Kaneki had been careful not to bite too deeply, in part because the boy could bleed out, but mostly because he could feel his control slipping by the second. Although he had enjoyed the fresh meal, his intention hadn't been to fill his stomach, and he hadn't expected his flesh to taste so goddamn _good. . . _He stopped that train of thought while he could, but couldn't stop his gaze from sliding over to the red-soaked wrapping he'd tied around the boy's shoulder. He didn't even know the boy's name.

Kaneki sighed. He had more important matters at hand than getting to know the half-blood that was more-or-less his ticket out of this hellhole. That in mind, Kaneki made quick work of the strangely-shaped quinque wrapped around his torso. Pushing his kagune out after months of hunger would normally have sent him into a frenzy, but the ichor in the demigod's blood was doing its job in leashing his hunger. The metal contraption fell to the ground in a cloud of dust. A slight smirk lifted the edges of his lips. That's not the only thing the blood of the gods was good for either.

His kagune rippled powerfully with the sentiment, golden veins pulsing down the length of the tentacles. With a violent thrust of his kagune, Kaneki pierced the opposite wall. Spider-vein cracks branched out from where his tentacles buried into the wall. In a matter of seconds, the cracks healed with his kagune still buried into the wall. Grimacing, Kaneki tried a new tactic. Twisting his body so that he was in a crouch, he spun himself in the air, pushing off the wall at his back. Just before he hit the wall, almost twenty more tentacles leaped out of his back to brace against the wall he'd leapt from. The added force of the extra tentacles hurtled his body towards the wall like a speeding bullet.

A great tremor shook the building when the wall crumbled.

Landing lightly on his feet, Kaneki immediately spun around to retrieve the unconscious boy where he'd left him. Luckily, almost all the rubble had landed outward rather than in the cell. Sliding down the largest hill of rubble, Kaneki halted in front of the dark dome encasing the half-blood. He crouched beside the dome and gave it a light tap. Under his touch, the dome steamed and withered away, leaving the acrid smell of blood in the air. Crouching, Kaneki brought two fingers to the half-blood's wrist and nodded, satisfied. Briefly Kaneki contemplated the withered kagune surrounding them. No trace of gold remained in either the kagune lying on the ground or in the one still attached to his back.

Ichor had the curious ability to allow ghouls to detach their kagune from their body, keeping the kagune alive and regenerating another in its host. The discarded kagune loses its golden glow and condenses into an almost black, metal-like substance reminiscent of quinque steel.

Kaneki's gaze turned back towards the boy, but he couldn't hold it there long. He screwed his eyes shut and sat carefully by the boy's unconscious body. Opening them again, Kaneki forced himself to stare hard at the demigod's bruised face, to study its features and remind himself that this person, however similar his bright personality was, would never be Hide. Not in a million years. Kaneki looked down at his hands that trembled, his body that quaked at the thought that he might have been the one to devour his most precious person. That year ago, he might have been the one in those godforsaken sewers, out of his goddamn mind, consuming his best friend's soft, soft flesh- a breath left his mouth in a shaky whisper. No. No, it couldn't have been him. He reached out to run his fingers through the boy's hair and down over his face. The feel of skin-on-skin contact brought him out of his warped thoughts, but he couldn't quite shake the claws of depression gripping at his heart and tearing at his throat. _Now is not the time. _

Kaneki exhaled once more. Sliding his arms under the demigod's arms and legs, Kaneki lifted him into his arms and started forward. The room he'd busted into was vast and dark. A cistern, built to serve as a reservoir for the Asylum probably. Dim, green lighting lit the stone walkways and shone its eerie light onto the murky water below. Occasionally he'd catch a glimpse of shiny, silver fish bodies in the water that disappeared as quickly as they came. Kaneki's weighted steps echoed as he walked along. Everything was quiet. Kaneki was uneasy. The boy coughed.

_Wait, what?_

Startled, Kaneki dropped the load in his arms into the water. The demigod came up spluttering, and Kaneki could only blink in confusion. _Do demigods really heal that fast? _Coughing, the demigod shouted what sounded to be a plead before he sank below the water again. Acting fast, Kaneki dived into the water after him. Through the murkiness a dark form sunk deeper and deeper. Kaneki could only hope the boy could breathe as long as he could. Propelling himself forward, he stretched out his hand, catching the strands of the boy's hair. He yanked up. Bubbles spewed out of the demigod's mouth as he pulled him to safety.

When the boy's head broke the surface, he coughed once then fell exhausted into Kaneki's arms. Their eyes met. A very interesting noise, a cross between a scream and a squeak, came from the boy, and Kaneki almost dropped him again when he started to flail about. Catching the boy's wrists in an iron grip, he threw the boy onto the walkway before he could drown them both. A yelp of pain was all he bothered to listen for before climbing out himself.

He glanced at the demigod out of the corner of his eye. They were both sopping wet, yet the boy less so. Perhaps he had a higher body temperature than what was normal. A multitude of goosebumps covered his own thin arms, and he absently rubbed them. Almost half a year of living down here was enough to be able to stand the frigid breeze blowing through the cavern. The boy cleared his throat to say something, but Kaneki beat him to it.

"What's your name?"

"Uh," the boy looked surprised but less uneasy than before, "It's Leo. Valdez. Leo Valdez." Again he, Leo, cleared his throat, "A-and I guess you're Centipede. Sir. Ma'am. What?"

Kaneki felt a smile twist his lips, "Just Centipede is fine. Ah, and I apologize for snacking on your shoulder, but it was necessary to break out of that cell."

"O-oh th-that's okay no harm done, right?"

"Actually", he gestured towards Leo's shoulder, "I did what I could, but it will most definitely scar."

At this the other boy grinned, "Hey, chicks dig scars. You just made me five times more badass than I usually am."

Kaneki blinked then lightly chuckled. He hadn't laughed for so long the act of it scratched at his throat, coming out raspy and broken. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other boy wince but tentatively smile back. Well, it was a start. Offering a hand down to the other boy, who took it in a surprisingly firm grasp, he started to explain where they were as they walked.

"An Asylum?!"

Kaneki squeezed out water from the clump of hair stuck to his neck. After the unplanned plunge they'd taken, the grime had been washed clean of it, and the strands were their natural white again.

"Yes, that's what I said."

"That's crazy! I'm not crazy! I mean, you're probably not crazy either, I mean, um, so how did you get here . . . ?" Kaneki tensed at the question. He knew _why_ he was here and he knew that was the real question the demigod was asking, but he wasn't about to tell him that. Better to feed him a half-truth than a full-blown lie.

"Same way you got here. I'm guessing you saw a creature that looked like a humanoid lizard right before you were knocked out?"

Leo scratched his chin, "Yeah . . . yeah, I did!" He hit his palm with his fist, "I remember the lizard-man now! But it was shouting to other lizard-men too." Suddenly Leo gasped, grabbing onto Kaneki's shoulders and shaking him a bit, "They must've gotten my friends too! We have to save them! But where would they be? Ohmygoshwhatifthey'redeadIcan'tdealwiththat-," Kaneki reached forward and grasped the other boy's shoulders too (lightly though, the wound probably hadn't fully healed yet) if only to stop the incessant shaking.

"I'm sure they're fine, Hide."

Shit. His heart beat a mile per minute, and his mind felt clogged with the sudden onslaught of memories flashing behind his eyelids._ 'He'snotHide/he'snotHide/he'snot/he'snot/he's__**NOT**__'- am I hyperventilating? _He was. Breaths left his lungs in short gasps and the air just wouldn't go past his throat.

"Hey, are you alright?" No, he wasn't, but he couldn't show his overwhelming weakness now. So he swallowed his breaths and kept them locked tight in his chest so that his ribcage expanded a bit. But most importantly, his rapid breathing would appear to have stopped. Silently, Kaneki nodded.

"That's good. I must. . . _remind _you of someone, don't I?" The breath left his lungs. He didn't want to talk about this. For the sake of normalcy, he nodded and turned his attention to the slick stone beneath their feet. It was mossy and dotted with spots of red. Beside him, Leo's little _'oh' _and subsequent chattering about his friends indicated he'd gotten the message clearly enough. But Kaneki wasn't paying attention to him anymore. He'd crouched down and dipped his fingers in a tiny pool of blood between the stone's cracks. Bringing it to his nose, he inhaled the scent of a rotting corpse. But it couldn't be that if it was bleeding so freshly. It had the scent of a living person surrounding it. Something green caught his eye. By now, Leo had crouched down beside him and picked up a dark green scale from beside the drops of blood. "Woah, is this from the lizard-men that kidnapped us?"

"They're the guards."

"Still lizard-men though."

They were getting nowhere. "Look, is one of your friends a child of Death?" Kaneki held up his bloodied fingers. The demigod's eyes widened, and he grabbed Kaneki's hand to inspect the blood more closely. "Is this Nico's? Or maybe Hazel's. . . they might even be together then. They're children of Hades, so that's why they smell like death. At least, that's what I'm guessing you're smelling." Leo's grip tightened. "Centipede?"

"Yes?"

"Do you- do you think they'll be okay?"

Kaneki wasn't even sure _they'd _be okay. But looking at this demigod now, he couldn't bring himself to say those words to him. Where had his hope been when he'd been breaking down in the sewers? Who had been there for him?

_Hide. Hide had been there for him._

And Kaneki would do the same.

"I'm sure they're just fine, Leo."

* * *

**For anyone who's interested the cistern they're in is based off of the ones below Istanbul. **


	7. Man Behind the Mask

**EDIT: I didn't want to upload a new chapter just for an update, so I'll discuss it here. Things have been stressful lately with moving back to my home state this summer, etc etc. But I'll finally be uploading a new chapter this weekend ^o^. Tbh I haven't had motivation for this story in awhile, but the most fucking ironic thing is that I landed myself on a PJO and TG panel? Anyway, thank you to all the reviewers that keep leaving encouraging comments!**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Man Behind the Mask**

Leo smiled at him so brightly and so familiarly, he had to look away. They rose and surveyed the cistern together. The drops of blood grew more numerous as they walked, and eventually stopped at a split path up ahead. On the far right, hidden in a shroud of darkness at the cavern's corners was a thick, metal door pulsing with faint light. In order to break down the door he needed Leo out of the way. Without any protest, he pushed the demigod back against a pillar depicting a horrific snake woman, a gorgon if he remembered right. He breathed out and released his kagune from his back. Kaneki could feel the weight of the demigod's eyes on his back, but he ignored it in favor of striking against the door in full concentration. This metal wasn't quite as tough as the cell walls, so they bent much more easily under his swift strikes. When they crumpled inward after the seventh strike, Kaneki stepped forward and placed his palm flat against the metal. As it withered away, the underlying scent of death grew stronger as it wafted out from behind the door. The last of the metal crumbled, and he caught only a glimpse of gold and black before dodging a fist flying towards his face. He flipped backwards to avoid a set of kicks and punches meant to catch him off guard.

The sweet scent of death wafted out from the boy that had attacked him. This must be one of Leo's friends, a child of Hades. Nico, if he remembered right. He was thin, even more so than he, and had a sickly pallor to his white skin. His stance made it easy to tell he was a fighter, but his heavy breathing belied his fatigue. Something about the boy felt broken. Perhaps it was because of his eyes. Kaneki had seen the look in them many times before in a mirror. It was as if whatever had broken him had forced him to become that much stronger. Kaneki dodged another fist easily. Clearly, the boy wasn't a brawler considering how clumsily he swung. Only then, when Kaneki grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him forward to throw off his balance, did he notice the trail of blood coming from his temple. His quick action caused the boy to smack his face into the ground. It was kind of funny really. Kaneki grimaced at his own thought, absently popping a knuckle.

_Ah, his blood smells so good. Maybe just a bite will do. . . _The thought was quickly forgotten when something gold glinted in his peripheral vision. That something shattered against his bare back and clattered to the floor. It was the broken end of a golden dagger. A sharp intake of breath alerted him to the girl standing behind him and shaking with the hilt still clutched in her hand. He must look intimidating to her with his kakuhou and kagune still active. Kaneki let his kakuhou disappear and his kagune retreat back into his back and turned to face the girl.

She had an exotic look to her what with the golden eyes and dark skin. The scent of death surrounded her too, but there was something more to the scent than he had realized with the boy. The scent was also very earthy and reminded Kaneki of the time he'd let Yomo convince him to take the group out on a camping trip. It'd been almost creepy how excited the stoic man had been to stare at flower and fauna all day. Kaneki sighed. He'd almost be glad to share a tent with Tsukiyama again if he could go back to Anteiku.

The girl was staring openly at him now whereas before her eyes stayed glued to her hands. She was very pretty despite the fear masking her face. Kaneki watched as she swallowed and attempted to speak, "You- you're a ghoul, aren't you?"

"Yes."

She looked braver now, encouraged by the response.

"Are you going to hurt us?"

Her eyes kept flicking to her brother. Still lying prone on the floor, he didn't look as if he could move. Actually, he probably had an even worse head injury from hitting his head again (judging by the blood). Choosing not to reply to the question, he instead stood aside so that she could reach her brother. Gratitude flashed across her face, and she quickly knelt by her sibling's side.

As she cradled her brother's head he asked, "Are you Leo's friends?"

Her head snapped up at that, jostling Nico's head and eliciting a weak groan.

"You know Leo? Where is he?"

"He should be right over-"

_Oh shit._

Sticking out of the gorgon's mouth where he'd left Leo were a pair of sneakers.

". . ."

Hazel's voice came out unsure, "L-Leo? Is that you?"

"_Ifmph mmeeph."_

"Excuse me, what?"

"_IFMPH MMEEEEPH."_

Nico piped up weakly, "I think he said 'it's meee."

"_Fphank fyuuu."_

"I think he said-"

Kaneki held up his hand, "I get it." Briskly, Kaneki walked over to the column, careful to keep an eye on the snakes twisting around Leo's ankles trying to push him further in. Oh dear. He couldn't destroy the column, lest the ceiling fall on them or he could end up injuring Leo. The one option he had was to pull him out by force. Bracing himself, he released his kagune once more and rooted two into the stone floor, leaving two more to deal with the snakes. The stone reptiles were easy to slice away, yet the mouth stayed firmly clamped onto its victim. Stone eyes bore holes into Kaneki's. Just to be safe, he avoided the stare and focused on pulling Leo out. Grabbing a hold of Leo's freed ankles, he squared his shoulders and drew a breath. Then he pulled hard. A tiny scream floated out from the stone mouth, but Kaneki ignored it. The demigod could be mad at him later. He exhaled and tried once more, straining his kagune to find the leverage he needed.

_Huh?_

In his hands, Kaneki held a pair of torn-up jeans.

"_Shemhtiphede?"_

"Yes?"

"_Wahhy izh mah butt kould?"_

"Um, well you see-"

"_Aamfph!"_

In one thrust, Kaneki shoved the boy further into the gorgon's mouth, gagging it, then swiftly pulled Leo all the way out. Breathing hard, Leo laid there for a solid minute. As graceful as one can after almost being eaten alive, he rolled onto his hands and knees and started crawling towards Kaneki. The demigod refused to look him in the eye and instead held his hand out. A blush coloured the tips of his ears. Silently, Kaneki crouched down and handed him his pants.

". . . Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

* * *

Jason felt uncomfortable. Scratch that. _Extremely _uncomfortable in this situation. Across from him sat a man whose eyes refused to leave his face. Despite the silver hair, he was probably somewhere in his thirties and hadn't uttered a single word to him since he woke up in this place. His back was positioned against the cell wall in a slouched position, yet at the same time he was strangely on guard._ Well, he didn't attack me when I was unconscious and vulnerable, so that's a good sign, right? _Jason wondered how it could be comfortable sitting like that with that metal contraption attached to his back. When the unnerving stare somehow grew in intensity, Jason began to sweat and finally he'd had enough.

"I'm Jason Grace."

The man grunted and shifted a bit, looking a bit tense when he'd said his name. That's a little odd. At the very least, the silence had been broken. Sort of.

"And you are?"

"Hm." A step forward. That was almost verbal communication.

"Do you know where we are?"

"No." _Success. _Hopefully, his smile seemed inviting enough to make the man open up more.

"Oh, so what do you know about this place? Is it some sort of prison?"

"No." _Okay, maybe this guy only knows one word in English. How am I supposed to communicate with him? Pretty sure he doesn't know a dead language either. Come on, Jason, think. You're a praetor and your friends, and the camps' fates, are depending on you and this quest. How can I make the best of this situation? _Unbidden came the thought: "What would Percy do?"

_Probably something stupid. Can't believe I just asked myself that. But I'm running out of logical options, so I might as well try it out. _

"Hey, old man." _Really, Jason? That's your opening insult? Percy would be laughing his ass off at you. "Shut up, Inner Jason."_

"Your momma's so fat that-uh- she doesn't fit through doorways?" _Good job, Jason. The world can really depend on you when it's in a pickle. "Thanks, Inner Jason. Really enjoy these talks." _

"I've never met my mother, so I wouldn't know if she could fit through doorways or not. Besides, don't you think it's rude to insult one's mother for her body shape?" _So he can speak English. And you just brought up a touchy subject. And you're also kind of a dick. Can we just stop talking?_

"Oh, yea sorry. I just wanted to get you talking, Mister-?"

"Just Raven is fine."

"Nice to meet you, Raven."

"Likewise."

"Sorry I insulted your mother, Raven."

The man shrugged and finally looked away.

"As I said, I never knew her, so it's fine."

Silence.

"I did have a sister." Jason perked up at that.

"Really? What was she like?"

After a brief moment where he looked as if he would answer, Raven rested his head against the wall, frowning.

"I'm not sure I. . . remember." Jason was confused. How could someone forget what their own sister was like? _As if I knew I even had a sister._

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know." The ensuing silence was less than comfortable. _To heck with "comfort". In a way, I'm the one who brought up his family so I should take responsibi-_

"She was very talkative, I think. And strong. She raised me all by herself."

"I can relate." Raven stared back at him again. Somehow, it felt more amiable this time, and he became encouraged by the attention.

"Your sister raised you too?"

"No, I didn't even remember I had a sister for a time. We were separated when I was two. My mother, the biological one, gave me away to someone I consider my real parent." Jason excluded the part mentioning that he was raised by wolves. "To be honest, I'm kind of glad. I've heard from my sister that she was a drunk and very unstable after my father left. The one emotion I feel for her is the regret that my sister had to deal with her all that time."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Your sister must be a strong person to have carried that burden."

Jason let out a fond smile, "Yeah, she is. We haven't talked much, but I admire her a lot."

"That's good to hear. I think I admire your sister as well."

"You do?" Raven nodded back.

"I do." A very comfortable silence filled the cell.

"What kind of things did you do with your sister, Raven?" Jason wasn't at all surprised to see the tiniest upturn of the stoic man's lips. It was as if a mask had been lifted from the man's face.

"Well, we'd often go hunting for beetles together. I would just watch. Then she'd sneak up behind me and drop it down the back of my shirt-"

For the first time in awhile, Jason let himself forget about saving the world and laughed.

* * *

**Yomo (a.k.a 'Raven') and Ayato should totally bond over their phobia of bugs and insects. Wait, does that mean they have a phobia of Kanekipede? Kanekiphobia? Idek I'm tired. Hope you enjoyed!**


	8. One Chance

**I be back.**

**Chapter 8: One Chance**

Thalia woke up feeling as if someone had smacked her skull with a hammer. Being both a demigod and a Hunter, she ignored the pain easily enough and tried to focus her vision on some part of her enclosure without seeing spots. Something red blinked in and out of her sight, and Thalia struggled to comprehend what it was. It was circular and small, about the size of a medallion, and spider veins spread out of its center. Suddenly, her vision grew sharp when it disappeared for a second, as if it was blinking. . . Her muscles tensed. In the pitch black darkness, the sway of the red eye moving towards her was unmistakable. Why only one though? Suddenly, the eye stilled. Sweat dripped down Thalia's forehead. Why had it stopped? The questions only worsened her growing anxiety, so she instead tried to focus on getting her bearings. Feeling around, Thalia found a rock and weighed it in her hands. At least she was somewhat armed now. She was obviously in some sort of cavernous room. Something unfurled in the dark, almost like a giant pair of wings. Tensing, Thalia shifted her weight onto the balls of her feet. Something was coming and fast.

In the split second before impact, Thalia rolled out of the way. A burst of air past her face told her she'd only narrowly dodged whatever entity had attacked her. Thalia whirled around and hefted the stone back, ready to chuck it at any sign of movement. If only she could see the damn thing this would be a lot easier. In the few seconds she had taken to turn around, the eye had apparently disappeared. Was it gone? The muscles in her thighs tensed. No, it was still there, breathing soft but present. Grip tightening, Thalia calmed herself. She had one shot and damn it all to Hades if she missed.

When the breaths caressed her neck, she lunged into the darkness.

Screams.

Silence.

* * *

Kaneki smelled the blood before they heard the screams. He lunged for Leo's wrist and unceremoniously pulled him to his feet. Ignoring the boy's indignant cry, he quickly scanned the cistern for the source of the sound.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Kaneki pressed his index finger to his lips and listened.

". . . ."

Another scream rose from beneath their feet.

Instantly, the demigods were on alert with him. Nico's rasp thickened in the following hush, "What was that?"

Kaneki didn't answer and instead pointed at a sewer grate set apart from the clear water of the cistern.

"There," he turned to the tense demigods, "Let's go."

Hazel nodded and secured her brother's hand in hers.

"Ready."

Kaneki gave a brief nod back and strode towards the grate, Leo stumbling behind. He stopped at the entrance when Leo tugged his arm out of his grip.

"It's safer if-"

"I know," Leo assured, sliding his hand into Kaneki's, "your grip was killing my wrist, man."

God, he even _sounds _like him. Kaneki chose to ignore the pain eating at his heart in favor of scooping Leo up into his arms.

"W-wait bro, no homo bro-!"

Sighing, he kicked the grate off and plunged into the darkness below.

* * *

Jason's hand froze reaching for a card from the deck. He shifted uncomfortably on the stone floor and, cocking his head, strained his ears for the echo that had caught his attention.

"Something the matter?" Raven's quiet voice asked.

Jason listened for a second more and shrugged.

"Just hearing things, I guess."

The stoic man grunted at that and gestured for him to continue.

"Yeah, yeah no need to be all smug about it."

A small smile graced the Raven's face, and Jason felt an answering grin on his own.

Whatever that had been it was no concern of his.

Several turns later, Raven's eyes held a terrible sort of mischief, and Jason felt dread grip him.

"_Uno."_

* * *

**Sorry this is short, but I had pretty much forgotten about this story. Sorry again for the wait!**


End file.
